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District 9 Film Analysis

1087 Words5 Pages
District 9 is a film released in 2009, directed by Neil Blomkamp. Despite being a science fiction film, there are still many concepts related to intercultural communication represented in the film. Two that stand out are stereotypes and ethnocentrism. This essay will define these concepts and look at how they are represented in the film. I will also reflect on how identifying these concepts in District 9 have extended my understanding of stereotypes and ethnocentrism.

One of the concepts of intercultural communication that is represented in this film is stereotypes. Stereotypes are a way the we, as people, categorise others different from ourselves. Characteristics are attributed by members of one group to members of another, and can be based on many different things including race, gender and even appearance (Neuliep, 2017). These stereotypes can carry positive or negative connotations, reflecting traits that we either admire, or deplore (Hurn & Tomalin, 2013). Often these stereotypes are not based on personal experiences, but rather they are acquired from the media or inherited from our own social groups (Scharrer & Ramasubramanian, 2015; Hurn & Tomalin, 2013). District 9 not only displays how stereotypes are created, but also how they can be overcome. As the film is fictional, the viewer has few preconceptions about the aliens in the film. It is only when they are introduced through the film that we gain an understanding of the creatures. During the opening of the film,
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